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"Sheltering an Animal’s Perspective"
by Gregory M. Simpson
I had a dream the other night that I kept rescuing cats that looked identical to ones that I had already rescued. It was a nightmare that unfortunately is reflected in reality.
Do the math. The average number of litters a fertile cat can produce in one year is three. The average number of kittens in a feline litter is four to six. In seven years, one female cat and her offspring can theoretically produce 420,000 cats. (Fertile dogs can have two litters yearly with 6-10 puppies in a canine litter).
In my neighborhood alone, I rescued twenty stray, feral and abandoned cats, having them spayed, neutered and vaccinated before finding placements for them. Some went directly to good homes, others were taken in by no-kill animal shelters, and the ferals were moved to barn colonies.
The last in this series of twenty rescued cats was a mother who had two litters before she could be successfully trapped. We had a number of near misses before finally catching her. Her second litter of five kittens included three females and two males. Think of the number of cats that one litter could have produced. The Animal Welfare Federation of Connecticut (AWFCT) estimates that the population of free roaming and homeless cats in Connecticut is between 700,000 and one million.
Usually spring is the heaviest season for kittens coming into our no-kill shelter. This year the onslaught continued straight through summer. In addition, by October, 126 animals had been abandoned at our shelter’s door.
As I write this column, my orange tabby is resting contentedly on the rocking chair next to me. He was found starving and unable to move due to his entanglement in a flea collar. How lucky this cat is to have a home when there are literally millions of homeless cats. One estimate says that there may be as many homeless cats as there are companion animals.
According to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association’s (APPMA) 2005-2006 survey, there are 90 million cats and 73 million dogs in U.S. households. That means 63% of all U.S. households own a pet, equating to more than 69 million households.
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) estimates that there are an estimated six to eight million cats and dogs entering shelters each year, only half of which find homes, with the rest being killed. Again, that’s three to four million killed. Shelters that kill animals prefer the term "euthanasia." The dictionary defines euthanasia as "the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (as persons or domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy." These are not hopelessly sick or injured animals. They are three to four million adoptable animals.
Only 2-5% of cats entering shelters each year are reclaimed by owners. The percentage is slightly higher for dogs, at 30%. Purebred dogs fare no better than mixed breeds, as 25% of dogs in the up to 6,000 U.S. shelters are purebred.
Nearly all pet owners say that companionship and affection are the number one benefits to owning a pet. Return this kindness to cats and dogs by spaying and neutering them so that someday all will be able to have a loving home. Do not buy from breeders or pet stores. This only creates more overpopulation when there are already so many needing homes. Save a life. Find a new friend. Visit a shelter.
Gregory Simpson’s animal welfare involvement spans over 25 years, having provided leadership for several Connecticut organizations, as well as having served as state advisor to the national Friends of Animals. Chosen by CAT FANCY magazine as one of the ultimate cat lovers in the U.S., he is also a member of the Cat Writers’ Association.
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